Nazz
Nazz Nazz

THE REVIEW

The Nazz are one of many bands that died before being born.

They never had a hit single, never recorded a historic album, never received awards... so why review something no one has ever cared about, resurrecting it after almost forty years?

I believe that, although their music is not particularly innovative, in their own small way the Nazz managed to write small masterpieces that after all would deserve a reassessment.

The Nazz officially formed in May of 1967 in Philadelphia with Robert "Stewkey" Anthony (vocals and keyboards), Thom Mooney (drums), Carson Van Osten (bass), and that undisputed genius Todd Rundgren (guitar), who would reach success with a glorious solo career. In that same year, the group recorded their first album which allowed the Nazz to enter the lower ranks of the US chart with the single "Open My Eyes\ Hello It's Me". The modest success encouraged the four to record another album. Rundgren proposed a double album project which would have been called "Fungo Bat", but halfway through the recording, the musicians decided to abandon the idea and distribute the tracks into two different albums ("Nazz Nazz" and "Nazz III").

"Nazz Nazz", originally released by Screen Gems on red vinyl (in a vain attempt to promote sales), is undoubtedly their masterpiece. But unfortunately, the album turned out to be a total failure in terms of earnings, as did the single taken from it "Not Wrong Long/Under The Ice". The negligible success pushed the members to release one last album and to pursue different careers. Returning to the album, "Rain Rider", "Not Wrong Long", and "Under The Ice" are some of the most memorable moments of the record but the ecstasy is reached in "Forget All About It", with the explosive attack of drums and distorted guitar. Rundgren also unleashes his melancholic streak with melodies like "Gonna Cry Today" or "Letters Don't Count", which are easily traceable to the "intimate" music typical of solo Todd.

Each of these little gems is a clear example of a musical genre partly influenced by English fashion (Rundgren was a big fan of the Beatles) and partly (of course) by psychedelia, which was particularly widespread at the time. The music of the Nazz is absolutely not innovative, but neither is it predictable. Both "Nazz Nazz" and the other albums are testimonies of the originality of Rundgren's creative genius that, despite composing simple and catchy music, never falls into banality.